


Mature Attitude

by storiesfortravellers



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Briefly Mentioned Tony/Pepper, De-Aged Natasha, Feels, Gen, Protectiveness, Tony Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-02
Updated: 2014-06-02
Packaged: 2018-02-03 03:29:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1729490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storiesfortravellers/pseuds/storiesfortravellers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>De-Aged Natasha sees Tony get hurt in battle and refuses to leave his side.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mature Attitude

“Natasha!” Clint yelled as he saw a ray of blue light hit her.

“Is she -- ?” Steve asked.

In Natasha’s place was a small young girl. With bright red hair. Wearing a black catsuit that was now hanging loose on her.

“Got her,” Tony said over the coms, as he swooped down in his suit, gathered the child in his arms and flew her to a nearby rooftop, out of the line of fire. 

Tony took off his helmet and smiled at her. “Just stay here, okay? You’ll be safe and then we’ll come get you, okay? You remember me, right?” 

She looked scared, but she nodded and curled up by the side of the wall. 

Tony resisted the urge to pat her on the head (he didn’t want retaliation when she was big again), put on his helmet, and took off to return to battle. 

A few minutes later they heard a high pitched scream ring out.

They looked over at the roof where Natasha was and saw her pointing several blocks down.

“Tony’s down,” Clint said, shooting a grappling hook to swing down to the ground. Soon, he and Steve were by Tony, as Thor and Hulk followed Steve’s directions and kept battling the aliens.

An alien ship had landed right on Iron Man, and even the Iron Man suit had to compress a little after that kind of pressure, and Tony was alive but unconscious. They had to call the Hulk over to lift it off, and they decided that Clint would take Tony to the hospital – and right after get Natasha to SHIELD medical to see about her condition, thus taking her out of the area of action. 

When they were at the hospital, Clint tried to take Natasha out of the room, but Natasha started a screaming fit.

“NO!!! I’m staying here!!!”

Clint stared. He honestly had no idea how to deal with children. Especially children who knew all his secrets and weaknesses and were probably, at any age, willing to use them.

“Fine,” Clint said finally, “But stand at his feet so you’re not in the way of the doctors.”

Natasha dutifully took her stand at the foot of the bed. She looked about 5, and SHIELD had come over with children’s clothes – a small yellow T-shirt and blue jeans – so that she wouldn’t be wearing an adult size operative’s outfit, but little Natasha had of course insisted on keeping her knives with her. She held them in front of her, one in each hand.

“I’m guarding Tony,” she said to Clint matter-of-factly.

“I can see that.”

“You can go home. I can pwotect him fwum all thweats.”

Clint knew that he would definitely need more medical attention than Stark did if he used the word ‘adorable.’

“Okay, we’ll guard him together, Tash,” Clint said.

“I am NOT a little baby! I know how to kill people without your help!!!” she yelled suddenly.

“What’s – who’s yelling? Because for once it isn’t me…” Tony mumbled as his eyes fluttered open.

“Tony!” Natasha said and ran up to him.

Tony backed away at the sight of the child running toward him with knives but he collected himself and smiled. “Hey, you okay?”

“I’m guarding you!” Natasha said. She stared up at him, her mouth serious, her eyes wide.

“Then I guess I’m going to be okay,” Tony said with a gentle smile.

“You are indeed,” the doctor said, walking in with lab results. “But you need a week of bed rest, Mr. Stark.”

“Yeah, right,” Tony said, wincing as he tried to sit up.

“You need west!!!” Natasha yelled angrily. She looked very close to a tantrum.

“Okay, okay, relax, Cold War,” Tony said, looking annoyed (but a little bit touched) as he lay back down. “I’m ‘westing.’”

“Don’t make fun of how I talk!” she said.

“Sure. Nothing funny about it at all,” Tony said. “Hey, get me my phone someone? I want to record something.”

Clint replied, “Dude, she’s going to be her old self pretty soon according to medical.”

“Oh,” Tony said. “Natasha, I was just kidding. You have conducted yourself with great dignity and I would never suggest otherwise.”

“I don’t have to be big to kick your ass,” she said solemnly, even as she had put her left knife into her scabbard and was playing with the fringe at the bottom of Tony’s blanket.

“We know,” Clint said reassuringly. “And it’s nice that you want Tony to get his rest.” He was distracted then by a buzz from his phone.

“Yeah, you get west and get better and then we can have fun and watch movies and eat ice cweam,” Natasha told Tony. “I will guard you until you are all better.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She held up the knife in her right hand. “I am good at fighting.”

“I know you are,” Tony said, and he was rewarded with a smile.

“Okay,” Clint said, “Okay, some news. Hulk kicked the shit out of the aliens, battle over. Also, SHIELD medical just texted, and they have the cure. I texted them back that it would be easier to take it here than try to make you go there.”

“I have to guard TONY!!!” she said as if Clint were taking too long to understand this very simple concept.

“I know, that’s why they’re bringing it here. Soon, Tasha. Okay?”

“Okay,” she said, pushing a tiny red curl out of her face. She gave Tony another smile and said, “You should eat your pudding or Clint will eat it.”

“Hey!” Clint said, “Way to sell me out!”

“He is hurt, when he feels better you can steal his pudding,” Natasha told him.

“I like this side of you Natasha,” Tony said.

“Be quiet and west.”

\--

“So, back to normal?” Tony said, as an adult Natasha walked back into his hospital room.

“Looks like,” she said with a smile, plopping down on the chair. 

“What’s up?”

She shrugged. “I said I’d guard you from all threats, didn’t I?”

Tony paused. “Yeah, I guess you did.”

“Also, the doctors are afraid to threaten you when you don’t follow medical orders. I’m not.”

“And here I thought that was your inner child,” Tony grumbled.

She smirked and grabbed his pudding and opened it.

“Hey, I thought Clint was the thief!” Tony said.

She smiled. “Please. Even when I was a child, I knew I was getting this pudding.”

“Figures. Save half for me?”

“Sure,” she said taking a large bite.

“So… was it weird? Being all small?”

“Yes. It was… disconcerting,” she said, handing him the pudding.

“Thanks for standing guard.”

“Thanks for saving me.”

Tony smiled. “Little you was really adorable. Really sweet and cute and maybe slightly sociopathic, but really just a sweetheart. You sure we can’t have her visit once in a while?” he said, mouth half full of pudding.

Natasha rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I’m sure. But if you really feel that way, I can tell Pepper that you desperately want to have kids right away.”

“Okay, never mentioning little you again, total surrender,” Tony said quickly.

“Damn right,” she said, and they both laughed.

“Last bite?” Tony offered her the bottom of the pudding cup.

“Thanks,” she said. She licked the pudding off the spoon and smiled, and for a second, she looked like a kid again.

**Author's Note:**

> For this prompt at avengerkink:  
> Avenger A is deaged during a battle, and goes immediately into terrified defensive mode. Turns out they're deaged both mentally and physically but have kept their adult self's memories, so they have a vague idea of who these people are and what they do, and that they, Avenger A, love all these people very much.
> 
> Then Avenger B gets hurt. Not life-threateningly but badly enough that there's lots of blood, maybe a few broken bones and at least a brief hospital stay required. And mini!venger A FREAKS THE HELL OUT. Attaches themselves to Avenger B and WILL NOT LEAVE THEIR SIDE, not even when they're finally home from hospital and recovering well, A is just like oh god no they can't lose B, they have to be okay, please don't make me leave them, please please please let them be okay. Avenger B lets A stay with them because yes, they are in fact very fond of A too, and want to reassure them, and also the attention is flattering and adorable. Angst and schmoop please!
> 
> I don't mind whether Tony is Avenger A or Avenger B but I'd like him to be one of them. The other can be anyone, buuuuut I will love you forever and a day if it's Natasha. <3


End file.
